A POSITION at the state championships awaits Port Macquarie if they can maintain their third position on the Country Champions League basketball ladder at Wollongong this weekend.
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Under-18 boys coach Nick Bannon said two wins from three matches against Coffs Harbour, Gosford and then Bathurst would be enough to see them progress.
He was hopeful they would be able to register one of those two wins in their first match of the day.
"We've got the grudge match against Coffs Harbour first-up and we've split our season series (matches) against them so far," he said.
"This is the decider."
Port Macquarie has already overcome a number of hurdles along the way relating to unavailable players although it has provided others with the opportunity to shine.
Bannon said Zac Lawrence had been unbelievably consistent while Jarrod Olsen and Seb Heuer have been real improvers.
"They're really valuable contributors for us," he said.
"It's a really positive culmination for them in their rep career because they're all top-age players so it's their final year of representing Port Macquarie in the junior program.
"A lot of these boys have been together from very early on in their rep careers and a lot of them came into the program with under-12s and have progressed through."
Historically, the under-18 boys division have earned a reputation as a "team that never really lived up to their potential" despite making Northern Junior League finals along the way.
"This year, they have probably exceeded expectations given the adversity that they have come up against having players unavailable for rounds and operating with low numbers," Bannon said.
"This has been a really successful year for them and a really positive way to end their junior rep program."
Bannon was left with little doubt a number of the side would easily transition into the senior program and then onto state league with the Dolphins in coming years.
"We've got a couple of players within the squad that are capable of taking their careers even further than that at some stage," he said.
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